The latest sports gambling scandal has reached federal court.
And the allegations are frightening.
Earlier this season, Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were suspended as the MLB announced an investigation into allegations of a scheme involving both players to manipulate prop bets. On Sunday, the United States Department of Justice unsealed an indictment against both players, filed in the Eastern District of New York, outlining the extent of the scheme.
And those allegations should send chills throughout the sports world.
Federal prosecutors outlined a scheme dating back to May of 2023 where Clase, and eventually Ortiz, would agree with unnamed bettors to “throw specific pitches in certain MLB games so that the Bettors (and at times, CLASE) would profit from illegal wages made based on that inside information.” (Capitalization in original).
As outlined in the indictment, beginning “in or around May 2023,” Clase joined the scheme, agreeing in advance with unnamed “Bettor-1” on “specific pitches that CLASE would throw in certain MLB games.” According to the indictment, with Clase’s approval, “Bettor-1, Bettor-2, and other Bettors used this information to place over a hundred fraudulent Pitch Speed and Ball/HBP straight bets and parlays on CLASE’s pitches.”
Prosecutors included numerous examples, first from Clase and later from Oritz, of the scheme in action. The first example came from a game in May of 2023, between the Guardians and the New York Mets. As alleged in the indictment, after receiving information from Clase about a “specific pitch” that the reliever intended to throw, “Bettor-1 and several of the Bettors won approximately $27,000 on Betting Platform-2 by wagering that a pitch thrown by CLASE would be faster than 94.95 mph.”
Prosecutors also outlined in the indictment how Clase and Ortiz would often throw these planned pitches on the first pitch of a relief appearance, sometimes spiking those pitches into the dirt in front of home plate or leaving them well outside the strike zone. Using still images of some of the pitches, prosecutors continued to describe the scheme with specific games and examples.
Another example from the 2023 season came in a game between the Guardians and the Boston Red Sox. According to the indictment, “[a]fter receiving advance information” from Clase, “Bettor-1 and several of the Bettors won approximately $58,000 on Betting Platform-2 by placing multiple bets that a pitch thrown by [Clase] would both be a Ball/HBP and would be slower than 94.95 mph.”
The indictment then contained this image of the pitch in question, showing the ball hitting the dirt in front of home plate:
From there, prosecutors outlined how, starting this season, Clase “requested and received bribe and kickback payments in exchange for agreeing to throw specific pitches.” This portion of the indictment included text messages sent by the Cleveland pitcher to the involved participants.
For example, after “Bettor-1 and several of the Bettors won approximately $15,000 on Betting Platform-2 by placing bets that a pitch thrown by [Clase] would both be a Ball/HBP and would be slower than 98.45 mph,” Clase sent a text message to Bettor-1 asking whether Bettor-1 had been able to “wager anything.”
After Bettor-1 responded that they had bet and won money, Clase directed Bettor-1 to “send some of it to [the Dominican Republic.” Clase further directed Bettor-1 with contact information, instructed Bettor-1 to “[s]end it as if it were someone else,” and indicated the money was “for repairs at the country house.”
The scheme even included text messages sent during MLB games.
On May 17, 2025, the Guardians played the Cincinnati Reds in a game that began just before 7:00 p.m. local time. According to the indictment, Clase sent a text message to Bettor-1 at 8:24 p.m. that night, asking if Bettor-1 was “ready.” As outlined in the indictment, “[a]pproximately ten minutes later, Bettor-1, Bettor-2, and several other Bettors won approximately $10,000 on Betting Platform-2 by placing multiple bets that a pitch thrown by [Clase] would be both a Ball/HBP and would be slower than 97.95 mph.”
Clase entered the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, with the Reds leading 4-1. The first batter he faced was Cincinnati third baseman Santiago Espinal.
The first pitch Clase threw was an 87-mph slider into the dirt by home plate:
The next two pitches Clase threw were cut fastballs, the first hitting 97 and the other hitting 99 on the radar gun.
A few days later, Clase sent Bettor-1 a text message “with bank account information.”
Other efforts to coordinate pitches and bets were made in person, including one meeting in April where Bettor-1 traveled to Ohio and visited Clase at the pitcher’s residence. The Guardians were playing the Red Sox that afternoon, with the first pitch coming around 1:10 p.m.
According to the indictment, Clase sent Bettor-1 a text message at 3:16 p.m., and then called Bettor-1 a few seconds later, a call that lasted “approximately two minutes.” Four minutes after that, “Bettor-1 and several of the Bettors won approximately $11,000 on Betting Platform-2 by wagering that a pitch thrown by [Clase] would be slower than 97.95 mph.”
Parlay bets were also part of the scheme, in order to “generate larger returns on the fraudulent pitches,” according to the indictment. Between 2023 and 2025, Bettor-1 “placed approximately 16 parlay bets in which one leg of each parlay was that eight specific pitches by [Clase] would be a Ball/HBP. Bettor-1 was successful betting on approximately seven of the eight pitches-and on the eighth, Bettor-1 was only unsuccessful because the batter swung at a pitch thrown by [Clase] that was outside the strike zone.”
Prosecutors included an example from a May 28, 2025, game between the Guardians and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Before the first pitch, Bettor-1 sent Clase a text message asking if the pitcher was “all set,” to which Clase replied that he was.
In the middle of the game, Bettor-1 and Bettor-2 each placed wagers totaling approximately $4,000, including a parlay bet, that a pitch thrown by Clase would be a Ball/HBP.
Clase entered the game at the top of the ninth, with the Guardians winning 7-4. The first batter he faced was Andy Pages, and Clase threw a pitch that “appeared to be a ball, but the batter swung, resulting in a strike and leading Bettor-1 and Bettor-2 to lose their wages.”
Here is the graphic from Statcast of that at-bat:
And also from Statcast, here is every pitch Clase threw that inning, where he earned a save in Cleveland’s win:
Those two pitches below the zone both came in Pages’ at-bat.
After the game, according to prosecutors, Bettor-1 sent another text to Clase, a “.gif image of a man hanging himself with toilet paper.”
“Even though the Cleveland Guardians won the game, approximately 10 minutes later, [Clase] responded to Bettor-1 with a .gif image of a sad puppy dog face.”
It is alleged that Bettors won “at least $400,000 from the Betting Platforms on pitches thrown by” Clase.
Federal prosecutors allege that Ortiz joined the scheme this season, and Clause coordinated between Ortiz and “the other Bettors. For his role in coordinating,” Clause “requested and received money.”
The first example involving Ortiz comes from a June 15, 2025, game between Cleveland and the Seattle Mariners, where Ortiz was the starting pitcher. Before the game, Ortiz agreed with Clase that “in exchange for approximately $5,000,” Ortiz would throw a ball for his first pitch in the second inning.
Clase “further agreed with Bettor-1” that Clase “would receive approximately $5,000 ($10,000 in total for both [Ortiz] and [Clase] for arranging Subject Pitch-1 with [Ortiz].”
That game was set to begin at approximately 4:10 p.m. In the hours leading up to the game, Bettor-1 sent text messages to check on Clase, asking “[h]ow are we doing?” and “[e]verying under control there?” Clase and Bettor-1 even had a “brief telephone call.”
Shortly thereafter, Bettor-1 and Bettor-2 “placed several wagers totaling approximately $13,000 on the Betting Platforms that Subject Pitch-1 would be a ball.”
In the top of the second, Ortiz’s first pitch was a slider outside the zone for a ball. The indictment included this picture:
The indictment also includes another game involving Ortiz, a June 27 game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Ahead of that game, Ortiz agreed that his first pitch of the third inning would be a ball, in exchange for approximately $7,000. The indictment described this pitch as Subject Pitch-2.
Bank security camera footage also captured Clase withdrawing “approximately $50,000 in cash” prior to that game, $15,000 of which he provided to Bettor-1 to wager on Subject Pitch-2.
One hour later, the same bank security footage captured Bettor-1 depositing $15,000 in cash.
The indictment also included a reference to an audio message from Clase to Ortiz, directing Ortiz to instruct his “associates in the Dominican Republic to lie about the purpose of the funds” Ortiz was receiving.
In the message, Clase instructed Ortiz to tell his associates that “this is payment for a horse.”
Subject Pitch-2 was indeed outside the strike zone, so far outside in fact that, as noted in the indictment, “the catcher failed to retrieve because of its distance from the strike zone.”
Bettors won “at least $60,000 from the Betting Platforms” on pitches thrown by Ortiz.
All told, the indictment alleges that bettors agreed to pay each pitcher $12,000 as part of the scheme involving pitches thrown by Ortiz. The indictment contains allegations of another $4,500 going to Clase as part of the pitches he threw during the course of the scheme.
The indictment contains four counts against both Clase and Ortiz: Wire Fraud Conspiracy, Honest Services Wire Fraud Conspiracy, Conspiracy to Influence Sporting Contests by Bribery, and Money Laundering Conspiracy.
“Professional athletes, like Luis Leandro Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase de la Cruz hold a position of trust—not only with their teammates and their professional leagues, but with fans who believe in fair play,” stated United States Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr.,. “As alleged, the defendants sold that trust to gamblers by fixing pitches. In doing so, the defendants deprived the Cleveland Guardians and Major League Baseball of their honest services.
“They defrauded the online betting platforms where the bets were placed. And they betrayed America’s pastime. Integrity, honesty and fair play are part of the DNA of professional sports. When corruption infiltrates the sport, it brings disgrace not only to the participants but damages the public trust in an institution that is vital and dear to all of us. Today’s charges make clear that our Office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who corrupt sports through illegal means.”
“Luis Leandro Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase de la Cruz allegedly rigged their pitches in professional baseball games, so that an inner circle, and occasionally themselves, could quietly cash out their winnings,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia. “The defendants’ alleged greed not only established an unfair advantage for select bettors, but also sullied the reputation of America’s pastime. The FBI will ensure any individual who exploits their position as a professional athlete at the expense of others strikes out.”
It is critically important to remember that these are allegations, and both Clase and Ortiz are entitled to their day in court, and are innocent until proven guilty. Both players, through counsel, denied the allegations. Ortiz’s attorney Chris Georgalis stated that his client “has never, and would never, improperly influence a game — not for anyone and not for anything.” A lawyer for Clase, Michael J. Ferrara, said his client “has devoted his life to baseball and doing everything in his power to help his team win. Emmanuel is innocent of all charges and looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
And in the coming days more information and context could emerge, putting this scheme into perspective.
But these allegations, dating back to 2023, should send a chill through the entire sports world, as well as the minds of any athlete who might be considering a similar scheme, given the information set forth by prosecutors in the indictment.
And raise questions about the presence of gambling in today’s sports environment.
